Lessons in Subtlety
by HedwigBlack
Summary: Severus thinks that Tonks is attracting too much attention to herself.


For the Pairing Diversity Boot Camp Challenge. The perfect excuse to write a creepy Severus/Tonks :)

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Tonks walked down the street as quickly as she could. It had been a long day and she'd been on duty in Hogsmeade for twelve hours. It was cold and she was frozen to the bone and she was in desperate need of coffee. She entered Number Twelve Grimmauld Place and tiptoed her way down the hall past the curtain covering Mrs. Black's portrait. She reached out to open the door to the kitchen but paused when it opened and Severus Snape blocked her path.

His lip curled when he saw her and his eyes lingered on her short pink spikes. She smiled brightly. She had never been one to be confrontational and while most other people in the house tended to be suspicious of him, she had no reason to dislike the man. "Hello, Severus," she said stepping aside to allow him to pass.

Severus inclined his head. "Nymphadora." Tonks opened her mouth to correct him, but he continued to speak before she could. "I've actually been wanting to speak with you. Let us go to the parlor, shall we?"

Tonks nodded and turned around to lead the way into the room down the hall. All the time she felt his penetrating gaze boring into her back. It was unsettling but not unpleasant and she hoped that he didn't notice the shiver that went up her spine when the door closed with a loud click and the two of them were alone. If he did notice, he pretended not to. He made a dramatic turn to face her, his black robes billowing around him.

She made to sit in a nearby chair but Severus stopped her. "Please remain standing, Nymphadora. This conversation will not take long." He took a few steps forward closing the gap between them. "I've been instructed to remind you of the importance of… subtlety." His eyes again rested on her bubblegum pink hair. "Your gift is a unique characteristic that is invaluable to the Order as I'm sure you understand."

Tonks nodded. He began to circle around her looking her up and down and again, she shivered and there was no doubt in her mind that he'd noticed this time.

"You can be anything you want. You are a chameleon, adapting to any situation with just a bit of determination. That is an admirable quality and must be used with great consideration. Now…" Severus stopped his movements to stand before her again, closer this time. "Why don't you try to change your appearance to something that will not draw as much attention to yourself?"

She swallowed hard and then scrunched up her face, concentrating. Her scalp tingled and she opened her eyes to view her work. Her hair was now shoulder length and black. She looked to him for approval but his face remained expressionless.

"Interesting…"

Tonks furrowed her brow in confusion. "It's less conspicuous isn't it?" she asked. "That's what Dumbledore wants right?"

Severus considered her a moment. "It is less vibrant but now the resemblance to your Aunt Bellatrix is uncanny. Perhaps red would better suit you."

Tonks stared at him horrified at the picture he had just presented to her. She morphed again so that her hair was now wavy and red.

"Better?"

"Less Weasley red and more auburn," he instructed.

She wondered what he meant by asking her to morph. She thought he'd made his point perfectly clear. She was beginning to understand why Ginny disliked this man. There was a touch of condescension in his deep voice that normally would have driven her crazy, but the way he was appraising her suggested that he did not intend to insult; rather the opposite. She complied with request after request without argument until she was two inches shorter, her nose was longer, and freckles dusted her face. Then he stopped talking all together and simply stared. His black eyes travelled over her and much to her surprise they didn't settle on her breasts like she expected but rather on her now auburn hair.

She cleared her throat, diverting his attention from her hair to what she was saying. "What about my eyes, Severus?" she asked expectantly.

He took in a deep breath through his nose and met her eyes. For the first time his face showed a flicker of emotion but he harnessed it immediately and looked away before turning on his heel to make his exit. "Leave them as they are," he said over his shoulder and then left her to stand in the middle of the parlor utterly confused.

She looked about her and found a mirror hanging on the far wall. She walked over to it and took in her appearance. Her eyes were large and green and apparently the only thing about her that he approved of. It was all the same to her but it was strange.

She scrunched up her face once more and changed her appearance back to how it was when she had come in. Then out of curiosity she made her hair longer and black. She looked at her reflection in disgust.

"I really do look like Bellatrix," she said to herself and morphed back before going in search of Molly and coffee.

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**Prompt: chameleon**


End file.
